In the Blink of a Fox's Eye
by Foxcomm
Summary: When the Phalanx invaded Earth 616 and were about to kill the next generation of Mutants, the strongest was stopped by Clarice Ferguson by her opening a portal between the two of them. A portal that could have gone any where and went to Earth 127369, where the Mutant evolution happened long ago. There she fell right into the lap of one Uzumaki Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

_One of my instructors once told me that the difference between a child and an adult wasn't age or power, it was ability to take responsibility for their actions. And I like to think that Iruka-sensei knows what he's talking about. But after hearing this, I began to question just what all is involved in that. Where does responsibility for an individual supersede responsibility for the village. The Hokage must do what is best for the village at the cost of an individual he has a moral responsibility to protect...? Where does responsibility and duty finally give way to morality. A ninja of many years is given a another mission to end the life of someone he doesn't know. This person could be a good man, a father, a son, could be alone or have a family. But for his duty, the ninja must make his life end. And how does someone choose between the responsibilities of family tradition, of imprisoning a being a great power and using it to protect his home as his mother and her aunt before her, or to himself, to want to be free of the harassment, to be given the chance to seek out his own dreams, to find his own desires. ...I didn't used to think of this, I was happy with my life. But then a certain pink haired and skinned girl literally fell into my lap, and showed me my world is bigger than what I know._

_An adult accepts his responsibilities...but his responsibilities to what?_

_~Excerpt from the journal of Uzumaki Naruto._

—oo000oo—

_**Off the San Deigo Seaboard**_

—oo000oo—

"Clarice, STOP! You can't beat him!" A group people, young, scared, growing up in a world they are unwelcome in, stared at a monster. A monster not created by nature. A monster named Harvest. And Harvest knew of none that could stand against it. But one knew she could.

"You know I can, Paige. Goodbye my friends." A young woman, little more than a child really, alone in the world, with no one to trust until just a few short hours ago. Born with a terrible power that when first used left her in a pool of blood. "I'm sorry Mister Banshee but I can stop this monster here and now and forever!"

"Can you, mutant filth," Havest taunted before Clarice reached out and touched his forehead. _**Blink.**_ That innocent sound shattered the world like a pane of glass, slicing everything from the point she touched, including herself and the monster. "What...is...happening...to...me?"

"Clarice, come here quickly now! Before you're trapped by your own powers!" A man flew for Clarice, reaching for her, wanting to help her. "Reach for my hand! I won't let you go, child! I WON'T!"

"I...can't feel...anything," Clarice cried, pain lancing through her entire body.

"Oh god, hang on! Please..." He grabbed her...and her arm just came apart between his fingers before she and what was left of Harvest just vanished.

"No, CLARICE," Paige screamed.

—oo000oo—

In a forest, walking with a dear friend, was a young man, little more than a child. Though no more than sixteen, the young man had already helped saved him home from a traitor three years pass. Both men were in good moral having finished some training over the weekend when they heard something that sounded so innocent above them.

_**Blink.**_

Naruto looked up and saw things falling. Among them was a girl. Tossing aside the bag he carried, Naruto began jumping up into the branches and reached for the girl. While catching her, something else that was falling scraped his arm. Glancing at the jagged thing that seemed made up of many little cubes, he ignored it in favor of helping her. "Sensei, she's bleeding!"

Coming up to his student, Umino Iruka looked down and saw a young woman with her eyes screwed shut, cuts crisscrossing her body and face, her mouth open with only heavy panting coming out, unable to voice her pain. Oddly enough, the cuts were sealing themselves but there were so many. "I'll gather everything together, get her to the hospital!" Naruto needed no more prompting, he ran as fast as he could. Resisting the urge every now and then to rub his arm.

—oo000oo—

"Iruka, the girl you brough in is recovering. The cuts you spoke of are...odd to say the least," the head doctor said to the chunin instructor.

"How so?"

"The go through out her entire body, like she was sliced to pieces but they don't actually damage anything and they're sealing back together perfectly. When done, she won't even have a scar. Physically. There is no actual pain, so she is likely reacting to a perceived trauma. She knows she was horribly cut so her mind is making the pain to go with it. I have already sent for Inoichi, mayhaps he can help her but I cannot."

Iruka nodded and said, "Thank you, Doctor. Naruto, we should be going, nothing more can be done here... Naruto?"

Inside the room with the mysterious girl, Naruto sat in the chair by her bed, watching her. He had never seen someone look like she did. Her eyes lacked any kind of iris or pupil, instead being a complete green. Pink skin and...pinker hair, he thought one of the girls in class called that color magenta, with arrows encircling her eyes almost like a jester. Yet these weren't paint and they weren't a joke. "Please wake up," Naruto said, softly. "I know it hurts but if you wake up, the pain will be gone. Trust me I know." So many questions he wanted to ask, who was she and where did she come from. Gently brushing her hair from her eyes, he stood to leave. Stopping when she stirred, he smiled before calling out into the hall, "She's waking up." Going over in time to see her eyes flutter open, he said, "You're going to be fine. You've been through a lot...whatever it was. Are you okay?" Seeing her look to him, she tried to speak but strained gasp came through. "Oh, here." Holding a cup of water with a straw to her mouth, she took several swallows before wincing. "Better?" She nodded. "Cool. I'm Naruto, I caught you when you fell out of the sky." That got a confused look as Naruto rubbed his arm. "You were falling and there was some blood and this thing made up of squares..."

"Where, cough, cough!"

"Easy, easy, whatever it was is destroyed. It just...broke when it hit the ground."

"Are you sure," she asked horsely.

"Are you bothering my patient," the doctor said, walking in with Iruka.

"The...rust cubes..." the girl insisted.

"Broken. When it hit the grass they just dissolved," Iruka told her.

"Did it touch you?"

"Not me."

"A shard cut my arm," Naruto told them, rubbing the spot through his jacket. The girl sudden started tearing at the sleeve, "What are you...doing." A hole opened in the material to show it rust orange beneath. Iruka tore the entire sleeve off and swallowed the lump that formed. Naruto's entire elbow and part of his forearm and deltoid was no longer flesh.

"I'm sorry," she said in sorrow.

Raising his arm and turning it this way and that, Naruto look at it as he bent his elbow. "That's not good, is it?"

—oo000oo—

"Can it be removed," Sarutobi Horuzen demanded, look at the X-ray of Naruto's arm.

"No Hokage-sama. The infection has already spread along Naruto's chakra path into his main body, going both up to his head and his abdomin. Whatever it is, it isn't acting like a normal infection, heading to the heart. Which means it isn't in the blood. Nor...is how it's spreading like a disease. There isn't a constant pace, the speed will pick up and drop with little to no warning."

"Why?"

"...It can't absorb chakra," the doctor replied.

"What? Everything has chakra."

"Almost. Here, take a look here." Going to a microscope, the doctor motioned for him to look through. "That there is a cell from Naruto, infected, what do you see?"

"It looks techological."

"I thought so at first but it isn't replacing the cell, it's covering."

"Meaning?"

"Take a look at this." He placed a new slide down. "Do you see the dark spots around the cells?"

"Yes."

"That is the same infection with blood from a different person. It isn't covering it so it's dying. Now look at this sample of donated blood that has lost it's chakra." This time Sarutobi saw something much different. Cells here were completely replaced by the metal. "This infection is incapatable to absorbing chakra. That's why when it hit the ground, it just died."

"But what about Naruto!?"

"We don't know," he replied. "Something about his chakra path is letting it exist within him and its using that to spread through him. Yet it also can't over..."

"Gerrgerrgerr," Naruto, restrained to a table suddenly growled as the infection spread closer to his head on the outside of his shoulder.

"...It isn't converting Naruto like it did the other cell," the doctor finished. "Naruto, can you hear me?"

"Yes," he muttered.

"Can you feel your arm still?"

"...Sorta. It feels odd."

"Odd, how?"

"It isn't numb but it is at the same time. I...dah!" He turned away as it suddenly jumped to his neck and cheek. "GAH!" His head tossed several times before he began making this nose like a music player freezing on one off note before suddenly stopping. "Energy equals matter cubic...01001001 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01110011 01110100 01101111 01110000 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101001 01101101 01100001 01100111 01100101 01110011 00100001 00100000 01010100 01101111 01101111 00100000 01101101 01110101 01100011 01101000 00100001." His head suddenly jerked to the side and he laid there unblinking a moment.

"Naruto, Naruto speak to me! What's going on," the Hokage pleaded him to speak.

"The infection has reached his brain," a nurse replied, scared.

"Inoichi, what's going on in there, what was he saying?"

Yamanaka Inoichi took a deep breath before touching Naruto's head...before jerking his hand away like it was burned. "By all that is holy!"

"Well?"

"It's...alive? It's pouring information into Naruto's mind. So much...I can't even begin to say what I heard."

"It isn't alive, Inoichi-san," Naruto suddenly intoned like a machine before turning his head back to the ceiling.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

"...Uncertain, gzzz. The...information and 'infection' is incomplete, damaged."

"You can understand it?"

"More or less. Until it reached my brain, I lacked the means to. That is also what the strange sensation was in my arm. My brain was incapable of understanding it until now." He head jerked again and he groaned like his old self again. "Gah this hurts." Turning his head to the side, you could see his vision was far off and unfocused. Like he was hallusinating. "It's moving in moments when there isn't chakra."

"There's always chakra," the doctor tried to say.

"No, there's that second chakra within and as it moves, so does the virus." Naruto winced and turned his head again. "Everything it knew before is...being dumbed into my head." This time he looked to the girl. "...Are you a bsKlutor? Did I die fighting?" Whatever the word he was trying to say was coming up garbled.

"A what?"

"A bsKlutor," he said again, exactly the same as before. "Are you here to take me where warriors go?"

"...A valkyrie?"

"...bsKlutor, valkyrie."

"Naruto," Sarutobi said, getting his attention. "What is it, do you know?"

"...The Techno-Organic Virus," he said in the flat tone once again. "It breaks down organic material to create inorganic from the base componants. Once completely transformed, I would be a 'Phalanx'. Error. Organic Material immune to assimilation." Naruto blinked before saying, "Where ever it was from there was also people immune to assimilation...mutants." Clarice winced at hearing him say that.

"If you're immune, why are you infected?"

"I'm not. The Phalanx is damaged, brain dead, it is using my body as a host in an effort to restore itself. By absorbing materials it can, dead cells, dust, dirt, ecetera, it is creating more of itself and is coating me. Once it has sufficient mass, it may revive the dead phalanx. Who will then use my body in an attempt to 'adapt' pass the immunity. Adedum. Immunity: Chakra. Anything that can conduct and or generate chakra is immune."

"Can it be stopped?"

"Unknown, data missing."

"No," the girl said softly. When everyone turned to her, she shunk down a little but kept talking. "Even if...he died now, it would keep spreading, it might even be faster. I...I can't stop it but I can...kill him when he changes."

"...Then we stop the spread using chakra," Sarutobi suddenly stated, unwilling to think what would happen if such a thing came in control of the Kyuubi. "Get every seal expert in Konoha here now, we're going to seal off the effected areas." Naruto glanced at him before an anesthetic was injected into his flesh arm, knocking him out.

—oo000oo—

Fumbling awake, Naruto reached for a glass of water only to have it placd in his hand. "How are you feeling," Sarutobi asked.

"I feel...great!" His head and eyes finally clearing enough that he could think and see, he looked to him and smiled. "Wow..."

"What?"

Naruto grabbed a mirror and looked at his face, the techno infection had stopped, having covered his right eye, up into his hair without changing the strands, down behind his ear and the ear itself, part of his neck, his entire right arm and shoulder, and ended just below his ribs, all with the proper coloring to match the rest of him. Looking back to Sarutobi, his right eye highlighted his face and brought up a file of information concerning him. "If you could see what I see... It's so different. Not better...not worse...just different and beautiful." Naruto got up and went to his window to look out.

"...We used a wall of chakra as a barrier to stop the spread."

Naruto nodded as he traced the line the infection stopped at. "Yeah, I can see it." A red line was highlighted on his skin to his eye. Suddenly a screen appeared, showing his body, the techno parts, and his chakra. Both of his chakra. "You know, this is going to take time to get used to. Especially the having a computer for a brain part. Gah, I just know somehow this is the fox's fault. Though for this view...I'm not mad."

"It's that different?"

Naruto didn't answer, he asked a question. "How are people taking this?"

"...There is some concern. More so what the girl told us. If it spreads..."

"Hmm. That would be a problem. Where is she, anyway?"

"Close by, we weren't sure what to do with her and she's very nervous for some reason."

"Well then, I better go thank her." He found his shirt and pants, discard the patient's gown and pulled them on before stepping out in the hall. Glancing about, he saw a sign and his altered eye focused on the name under it. Again a file with what information he knew was brought up, this time with a picture. "I could get used to this."

"Over here, Naruto." Sarutobi motioned to a room a few doors down with the door open and a guard outside. "Naruto may go in."

"Yes, sir."

Walking through the door, Naruto saw the girl standing by the window also looking out. Gone was that blue, techno suit and in its place was a white sundress with flowers on it. "Nice day isn't it." She jumped at hearing his voice and turned to him. Seeing her face, again the file came up but this time with information carried over by the phalanx. "Whoa...nice. It's good to finally meet you when we're both in good health, Miss Ferguson. And I'm Uzumaki Naruto. And I owe you thanks for saving me."

"How did you know my name?"

Naruto pointed to the techno side of his head. "Phalanx have a hive mind and their information is shared between the drones through the infection. Incomplete my transformation maybe, it still passed on what it knew. You come from a very interesting place. I would like to see it if not for the rest of the things it shows me."

"What else does it tell you?"

"You're Clarice Ferguson, age sixteen, born January Sixth in the Bahamas. And you Blink."

"Blink?"

"Yeah," Naruto said before saying it as a sound effect. "Where you teleport things."

"Oh..." She looked real nervous and rubbed her arm at that. "You know about that too?"

"Yeah, its very cool." Naruto stopped smiling the more nervous she got. "You don't think it will be like 'that' here, do you?"

"...You are humans."

"Not like those humans, let me show you." Naruto offered his hand, not really thinking as he put out his techno hand. Closing his fist and chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head, he held out his flesh hand. "That's going to take some getting used to as well." Clarice wasn't sure if she trusted him or not but she could tell he wasn't upset for this happening to him even if it was her fault. Taking his hand, he turned to the door and called, "Old Man, we're going for Ramen, have the guard meet us at Icharuka!" Naruto raised his hand and both him and Clarice vanished in a shushin.

—oo000oo—

Setting down in front of his favorite stand, Naruto blinked in confusion before rubbing his head. "You know, I just realized I shouldn't be able to do that yet."

"What was that," Clarice demanded.

"Hey, relax, Blink. That was called the Shushin. We use it to move around."

"We? As in others can teleport?"

"It wasn't teleportation, more of releasing all our kenetic energy at one moment to achieve super speed. Can't do it long or through walls but in open areas it is like a teleportation. The thing about it is that only our speed increases, not our minds. And yes, most people in this village can use it. Come on, let's get something to eat, you must be sick of hospital food."

"I..." Her stomach grumbled, cutting off whatever she was going to say. "Could use something."

"Cool," he said as he ducked inside. "Hey Old Man Icharuka, can I get a miso ramen! What kind would you like, Blink?"

"Do you have seafood?"

"Yeah, that's miso. Two of them!"

"...Why do you keep saying Blink?"

"Because that's what you do and it sounds cooler than Clarice." That made the girl blink her eyes at him as he chuckled.

"Hello, who's this," came from behind the counter as the two sat down.

"Ayame-oneesan, this is Blink-chan."

"My name's Clarice," she said softly, looking down.

"She is a cute one," Ayame said with a smile. "She your girlfriend, Naruto?" She looked to his changed features but didn't say anything yet.

"Nah, we only just met. Pretty, isn't she?"

"Very, I can tell you now, Clarice, that you are going to be beating the suitors back with a stick. And what happened to you, Naruto? Some new jutsu or something?"

"Or something," Naruto said proudly. "It's incredible, Neesan, I just know this will help me become a great ninja!" Clarice watched, confused, as Naruto started going on about all the great things he was going to do like this now, excited for the change instead of afraid, as well as that, now that she though about it, no one was staring at her having pink skin and hair.

—oo000oo—

"As you can see, the infection has stopped spreading and has been adapted into Uzumaki's body without rejection," a doctor said, going over the images of what he looked like after the sealing. "The changes, besides the obvious, are rather great. Individual tissue such as veins spread the infection through its entirety yet does not spread the infection beyond, his entire blood circular system has been infected yet does not infect muscles or organs connected. This has begun a secondary regulation to his cardiovascular system as well as blood adreneline levels, improving his overall condition and endurance. His altered eyes shows increase perception and there is an increase in hand eye coordination as well. Desite the slow exansion elsewhere, his entire skeletal structure has also been infected. This as well as the rest of the infection has increased his weight by near thirty kilograms. As wounds to the infected area still have cells divide and heal as normal, it is likely that he will continue to grow. The bone structure, as with the blood veins, shows no sign of spreading the infection." The doctor spoke to four people, Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, and his advisors, Homura, Koharu, and Danzou.

"What would be the the result of continued spread," Elder Homura asked.

"...Unknown. The original infection area has been revealed to show a different type of infection then that to the newer."

"Explain."

The doctor showed them a picture of the original phalanx infection. "This cell shows signs of rudimentary sentience, it is alive in part." He changed to a newer cell that appeared more 'organic' in design. "This cell though lacks these parts here and here and have become saturated with chakra."

"Meaning what?"

"The originals were being killed as they spread. It is possible that the original fear of a complete inorganic transformation is no longer viable. It is also possible as that this is the adaptation needed to overcome chakra immunity. We would need to test it on a subject...with less potential of mass destruction should the second be true. But I would recommend not increasing it any more. The change is permement and further increase will threaten those down the line. I think this is just a random benefit to a bad circumstance."

"Very well," Koharu replied. "What of the girl?"

"Clarice Ferguson has a genetic stucture not dissimilar to that of a ninja. That odd part though is this." He did a few handsigns and water rose up in the form of a DNA strand from the bowl set between them. There, the water colored itself in a combination of red, blue, yellow, and green with one bar of black. "As the council will remember from the study some years ago comparing the DNA of a ninja to that of someone unable to produce chakra in usable levels, there is an extra gene in ninja. This black one here." He touched the strand and the black bar shifted to a new location. "Ferguson Clarice though, has her's here."

"What does that mean?"

"...DNA is a very complicated thing that cannot be changed. Of the one hundred thousand prossesses that happens inside the body, there is only thirty thousand genes to go to it. This means that the genes not only have multiple functions, they also work together with others to create new functions. Without the material of her parents, I could only guess how this affected them but if they were similar, then the Ferguson family had a completely different way of producing and using chakra. Meaning..."

"A kekkie genkai."

"Yes. During physical examination, we found this on her right leg." He passed out a picture of red tattoo in the shape of an eye with a bar extending from the pupil left and right the sizee of a plate. "Relevance of it is unknown but it might be the clan symbol or her position or strength in it. Eye structure similar but different to ours. Green instread of white, no pupil or iris yets sees to better detail than most. Perfect physical condition. No signs of chakra training but again with what little we know of her... She does appear to have a regeneration ability as when she was first discovered she was riddled with cuts that all healed within an hour. That or it was in conjuction to her sudden appearance in the air. A side effect of whatever brought her here. Honestly, if it wasn't for her genetics, I would recommend her for a possible candidate for any of the bloodlines. Test performed, as standard to all those new to living in the village, shows a great capatibility to strengthen many number of kekkei genkai. I do not know where she is from but from how valuable she appears to be, it isn't from around here."

Sarutobi listened to this in silence while also using his crystal to keep an eye on the interraction between Naruto and Clarice. From how she suddenly blushed and started laughing, he had just told a dirty joke. "From what I heard between Naruto and Clarice, she appears to be an orphan. And Naruto has made mention of her ability to 'Blink' several times" he said to his advisors.

"Blink," Homura asked.

"Obviously he isn't refering to her closing her eyes so she has some ability we do not know yet and she was hesitant to speak to me about anything beyond the phalanx. Withdrawn personality, hands and arms held in close, protectively, common signs of abuse or assault. Possibly for her difference in appearance. It is..." He trailed off wen he noticed touble starting in the crystal. "Captain, have an ANBU member check on the two, they are at Icharuka Ramen."

"Aye, aye, sir," the captain replied before vanishing for several moments.

—oo000oo—

"So he just took playing cards, threw them and they blew up," Naruto asked.

"Not just cards," Clarice corrected. "Anything he charged, up he could blow up."

"...Wow, what else could these 'X-men' do?"

Before she could answer, someone entered the ramen stand. "Amazing, and here I didn't think you couldn't end up anymore of a freak." It was a boy with spikey black hair, a scar on his right eyebrow, and a few years older than Naruto. Like Naruto he wore ninja suplies and gear but unlike him, he wasn't wearing a headband.

Naruto dropped his head a little and sighed. "Blink, meet Muramasa Hyate. He was in my class a year ago."

"Yeah, and I beat the hell out of you there," Hyate interjected. He glanced to Clarice, smiling, before turning back to Naruto to see him facing his ramen again. "Don't you ignore your betters, freak! Or did you forget that lesson I taught you!?"

"Hey, there will be no fighting in my stall,"Icharuka Teuchi said sternly, holding one of his knives.

"Calm down, old man, I'm just reminding him of his place."

Naruto closed his eyes a moment before replying with, "What is that place now? As I'm the one that actually made ninja, and you didn't, Hyate."

"You little punk," Hyate said, grabbing both Naruto and a kunai. Only to feel that kitchen knife pressed to his throat and a kunai tapping his inner thigh.

"Need I remind you the penalty of starting a ninja/non-ninja fight, Hyate," Naruto said calmly.

The scowl didn't leave his face, it grew. "I wouldn't be punished for hurting you, freak, I would be thanked. Never forget that. You don't belong here and you will never be accepted." Letting him go, Hyate stepped back and faced Clarice. "If you're smart, you'll ditch this loser before something bad happens."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Hardly. Pretty girl like you, nah. One day, he will get his and it will be messy, I would hate for a pretty girl like you to get caught in it."

Clarice kept her face nuetral as she said, "Thanks for the advice. But I don't think I'll listen to an insecure bully who feels he needs to attack others for his obvious lack of a penis. Especially when he has grown insanely jealous of larger size of his victim's." That got a snort from Naruto.

He began to glare before saying, "Bitch," and leaving.

"...What was his problem?"

"I don't have any parents or friends. Easy target," Naruto replied. "You pretty much got it right, he doesn't have a..."

"Watch out!" Clarice threw her hand forward with a _**Blink**_, catching a shuriken before it would have hit Naruto's throat. It vanished and hit the wall behing Naruto in three pieces. Naruto spun and threw what was in hand, one of his chopsticks.

"My hand," Hyate cried as the stick pushed through his palm. He grabbed it only to spin as Naruto was suddenly on him, fist slamming into his nose and breaking it. Hitting the ground, he began to get up until Naruto stepped in his wounded limb. "Agh! Get off, get off!"

"Not yet," Naruto said, crouching down, digging his foot in a little. In his hand was the other chopstick and it was beginning to glow ominously. "I really do have to remind you the penalty for attacking a ninja. If you survive the fight, its two years in prison. Damn prick."

"Genin Uzumaki, get off him," An ANBU said, coming up to them.

Naruto was silent as he backed up. Hyate started to smile until the ANBU grabbed him and started to restrain him. Looking to his glowing chopstick, he discarded it and headed back inside, ignoring the pop it made. Sitting back down, Naruto smirked and said, "That's two I owe you."

"Yeah...I wouldn't count the first, all I did was say stuff. As for that one...you're lucky I didn't cut your face off."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. The first time I did that...someone died. I passed out and woke up in a pool of blood. The body was never found. And I never used it again until Harvest."

"Huh. What can I say, luck has always been on my side when things get interesting."

"Don't joke, Naruto! If I was even the slightest off..."

"But you weren't," Naruto interrupted. "And instead of hurting someone, you just used that to save me. So, Blink, I'm going to have to think of something big to pay this back."

Clarice just gaped at him before shaking her head. "You are infuriating."

"Thank you," Naruto replied cheekily.

—oo000oo—

Sarutobi had watched what happened intently, especially the part where she bent space around Naruto. He wasn't the only one. "And there it is, how she got here and what her kekkie genkai is," Homura offered.

"It is interesting," Koharu agreed. "Imagine what we could do with a bloodline like that. Sarutobi..."

"If you are about to suggest I force this young woman into an 'arranged marriage', I will be rather upset."

"You cannot deny the value she is," Danzou suddenly said, having been silent this whole time. "Of course, there would be problems with such a thing."

"And that would be," Sarutobi asked carefully.

"First is like you said, Hiruzen, she is a victim of abuse. Given her ability and what she said, I could see why. If we pushed too hard, she may lash out. A gentle hand would be needed for this, not a forceful. Second, given her uniqueness, she may adversely effect her offspring if they too have a kekkie genkai. So individuals such as the Uchiha or Hyuuga Neji cannot be chosen. Maybe in a generation or two when she has more mixed with us. Thirdly, because she is an abuse victim, she will be slow to trust anyone. Especially anyone that is overbearing. But these also tell us how to pull her to our side." He waited a moment and when no one interrupted, he continued. "Where ever she is from she was ostracized from her differences. Here, those same thing make her desirable. We offer her safety and community, a home if you will. Finally, we offer her importance. Say we need her to do something that even we may not be able to."

"...You want her to be married to Uzumaki," Koharu said slowly.

"Correct. Clarice has already demistrated that she can 'deal' with a problem if it arises. Tell her that we would like her to get close to Naruto, to keep an eye on the infection. I can tell she wants, needs, to be part of something of importance. Protecting her new home, and maybe even a new friend, is that something. Make it sound that marriage is the only way to get close enough."

"Offer her a choice, make her think it is her idea, and we still get what we want," Sarutobi said softly.

"Correct. And given the aptitude Uzumaki possesses, as well as the ability his father had with space time jutsus, I believe she is actually the best choice of a future mate. Take into account her own apparent skill, able to block that attack despite not praticing her ability and it is likely any offspring between the two will be powerful indeed."

Sarutobi sighed and said, "Danzou, you remain...Danzou."

The maimed ninja bowed his head at that. "I shall take that as a compliment."

"That is also why your remain Danzou," Sarutobi finished.

—oo000oo—

When the two were finished, they began heading back to the hospital. "Man, even with my arm aching I do not want to go back," Naruto muttered.

"Anything wrong?"

"Nah, it just aches but I 'have to stay in the hospital until such a time that we are certain there are no side effects'," he replied in a good imitation of the Hokage.

Clarice shook her head a little and said, "It isn't a bad idea. If you knew what those...things could do, you would be careful too."

"Yeah, well...I can live in fear of it or I can embrace and take control of it," he said, holding up his hand. "Maybe one day it will kill me. But until I actually stop breathing, I'm going to use this to help people." Clarice watched him closely, she wished she had his enthusiasm, she really did.

"Miss Ferguson," an ANBU with a hawk mask said, appearing before them. "I am to escort you to the Hokage, he wishes to speak with you on a matter of some importance."

"Alright, we'll go see the Old Man," Naruto said happily.

"I was also instructed to remind you that you are to return to your room, Genin Uzumaki," the ANBU replied, making Naruto drop his head.

"Man, I hate hospitals," the blond grumbled before continueing on. "See you soon, Blink."

"Um, yeah. What does the...Hokage want with me?"

"I am unsure but I believe he is concerned about how you are getting along." The ANBU started walking and Clarice fell in step with him. "You did kind of drop in unexpectedly."

"...How long has this village been waiting to use that?"

The ANBU turned his head and rubbed his hair before saying, "I've been waiting since I heard about you." Clarice sighed but relaxed a little, if he was making jokes, bad though it was, it couldn't be something worrying. "You seem in better spirits than when you arrived, enjoying yourself?"

"Yes...but I worry for my friends at home."

"Where's that?"

"I don't know. There is no place like Konoha in all the world that I know of. A community of mutants, maybe an entire continent full, I've never heard of this. I'm not even sure this is the same planet."

"...I can't say I understood all of that but I understand the meaning. But in truth there is no place like Konoha anywhere else. During an age of war, two great leaders brought their people together in an effort to bring peace. Konoha was the village they created. One of them was chosen to be the first Hokage, the first face to the left on the mountain."

"I see...why does that fourth face look so much like Naruto?"

"..." The man paused and looked to the monument. "...Don't know. That's another part of this village, secrets, shadows, and half truths hide around every corner."

"Sounds ominous."

"Not really, we were all raised for this. Konoha, to support itself, is a... What's the right word here... Mercenary company, maybe? We're hired by individuals who want things done. Some clandestine...others not so much."

"Like what?"

"I could tell you horror stories of chasing a cat," he offered, completely serious. When she snorted, he said, "I'm serious. There is this demonic cat, older than I am, that is bane of existance for all new ninja." Clarice began to laugh, trying to cover it up with her hand. "This isn't funny, I have scars," he said, waving his hands a little and getting more giggles. Although he smiled that he made her laugh. His Hokage said to make her feel welcome, like this was to be her new home so he would do so.

"I'm sorry," she wheezed, her head starting to hurt from laughing so hard.

"It's alright," he waved off. "You should be smiling more. So, what has you worried with your friends."

"...The phalanx is spreading, quickly."

"Hmm. Then I have to say that whatever it is, its already over." She turned to him questioningly. "Judging by what all you have said, the 'phalanx' is very quick and your people move about from one point in the world to another just as quickly. So either the phalanx has...assimilated your world, or it has been stopped. Either way, there is no longer a need to worry."

Clarice stopped walking and whispered quietly, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Viruses with a fast infection, kill rate always end quickly, good or bad." Clarice rubbed her arms like she suddenly got cold before nodding. Again, this was something his Hokage asked of him. Lessen her desire to go home so that she will want to stay.

"...You're right," Clarice said, a bit sad. "I just wish I knew how it ended."

"Now that I can't offer any pearls of wisdom," the hawk mask ANBU replied. "Other than have faith in your friends, that they made it through. And keep in mind the burden they had, should they fail. When things are the worst is when most are at their strongest." Can't completely write off her old world, that might make her untrusting. But by telling her to remember the stakes, she won't forget how bad it may have gotten.

"...Paige made it through," Clarice said, suddenly filled with confidence. "If anyone can, it would be her and the others. Even Mister Sabertooth." It made her smile, thinking that. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything. You and your village, especially Naruto. I can't say the last time I felt this...safe."

"Well then, maybe you should offer your thanks to him instead," the ANBU replied, motioning to the Hokage's office door. Clarice looked around and realized that during their talking they had walked all the way here. "And you are welcome, Miss Ferguson." Stepping back, he suddenly vanished, leaving her alone in front of the door.

"...That is so cool," Clarice said before knocking.

"Enter," came the aged voice of the leader of the village. Sliding the door open, Sautobi smiled at seeing her. "Ah, Clarice-chan, good to see you." The man stepped away from a canvas he was working on, setting down the brush he held in hand. Seeing her look to it, he smiled and said, "Trying to relax a little, now that most of the worry is over. Tell me, how are you?"

"I am better. Better than I have been in so long."

"That is good to hear...I think. Is or was something wrong? The phalanx?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "People like me aren't well accepted where I'm from."

"I see." Sarutobi moved to his desk and the tea pot set on it. "Would you like some?"

"Yes," she said, moving over to take the offered cup.

"Well, forgive an old man for saying so but if things are so bad, do you even want to go back?"

"I don't think I would forgive myself if I didn't. At least, I felt that way before, now I'm not so sure."

"Then take your time, think about what you can and should do. Until then I would like to ask for your help."

"My help? What can I do, according to Naruto, there is nothing your people can't do. You beat the techno-organic infection even!"

"We can't do everything and it concerns Naruto. Nothing bad, I assure you. Rather I would like you to keep doing what you already are. No doubt, you noticed Naruto doesn't have many in the way of friends, correct?"

"I've noticed."

"Nor does he also have a family to be there for him. That means there is no one to watch to make sure he is okay."

"His arm," Clarice muttered.

"Correct. I care for Naruto a great deal so that worries me. That we might have missed some of the infection even more so. I am already watching him when I can but I would appreciate another set of eyes if you are willing."

"...I just have to watch the spread?"

"If there is any. I would also ask you to watch his behavior but I don't think you know him well enough to do that. So I ask you just be his friend and keep an eye out."

"...I will. And I want to help out the best I can. You have all been so kind to me, I have to repay that. Tell me what signs to watch for in his behavior."

"Clarice, I can't," he tried to deny. "You don't have the training and even if you did that would require things I'm not willing to ask you."

"Let me decide what I'm willing to do, please."

Sarutobi sighed and said, "Alright, alright. Stubborn, aren't you? If I was talking to one of my ninja, I might ask them to get close, as close as possible to him to see all the changes. Naruto is a very open personality, he wears his heart on his sleave, you could say. But only to those close to him. He has kept up a mask of happiness for many years to show that being..."

"An orphan doesn't hurt," Clarice muttered.

"I take it you are familiar to that pain."

"I lost my parents when I was young."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Children suffering has never sat well with me."

"But the world isn't nice, it will happen and you can do little to change it," Clarice said, almost bitter.

"Well, I like to think I can help those around me," Sarutobi offered. "That mask is why you would have to get close. Again, if I was talking to my ninja. Alone or with friends, Naruto is very lonely. But when you are with him, he has this smile that shows the happiness of the world. You saw it when you ate ramen with him, right?"

"I know the smile," she said, thinking back. "When he was bragging about being this great ninja and how he would do so many great things...I said I believe he would and I meant it. I just know that he will. And then he just gave that smile."

Nodding, Sarutobi said, "Not many see it or the good person he is. To get close, a ninja might try to recreate themselves as his ideal date."

"A lie?"

"Yes. That's why I didn't want to ask this of you. A ninja would because it might mean the safety of the village. But this isn't your home, Clarice-chan."

"Wait, I never said that..." She trailed off as she caught herself. "I'm actually considering staying," she muttered in shock realization.

"We would welcome you," Sarutobi said. "If you are sure, that is. This is a military village, as you have seen. Everyone pulls their weight."

"I can do that," she said with determination. "You don't survive alone as long as I have without doing it."

"We shall see. Shall we at least continue with Naruto?" At her nod, he cleared his throat. "This would require being close to him during missions and training when he is assigned to a team as a ninja. It might even come to one of my ninja's dating him and other things. Which is why I'm not asking you. You aren't a ninja, I'm not going to ask you to..."

"Enough!" Sarutobi blinked in surprise at her outburst. "I'm not going to let you create someone as Naruto's ideal lie only for him to be hurt for it later!"

"Clarice, I know this seems cold and hurtful but its for Naruto's safety. This is why I didn't want to tell you."

"So I should have just left well enough alone while you lie and abuse the trust he has for you?"

Taking a deep breath, Sarutobi closed his eyes a moment, carefully judging what he would say next. "I have made many decisions in my life I regret, decision I had to make as the leader of this village. One of the few that I don't regret is everything I have done to help Naruto. This is to protect him, Clarice. Unfair though it may sound, Naruto has gained something that if it gets loose will hurt him and others around him. So unless you are going to offer a solution where you are there whenever something may go wrong, I will do what I have to."

"...I will!" Those words so easily came out. "I will be."

"Do you know what you just said? You agreed to be his...significant other, girlfriend, wife. Do you, do you realize that?"

Clarice suddenly looked down, rubbing her toes in a circle. "I don't want you to...compromise your friendship with Naruto just to protect him. And I want to protect him too. Besides, it makes sense, I killed Harvest, if..."

"No," Sarutobi suddenly interrupted. "If ever it comes to it, that Naruto has to be, I shall be the one to." He saw her confusion so he simply said, "We are a complicated people, Clarice-chan. I care for Naruto like my own grandson, if it must be done, ever, it will not be on an order or by someone that hates him."

"...So what do I do now?"

"Go back to your room at the hospital, you are still recovering from what happened. I'll make up some story but know, it will probably involve forcing the two of you together. I'll have it together in a few days." She began to get up and walk through the door. "Does he mean so much to you already, that you would do so much for him?"

"...I hurt him but he doesn't care," Clarice replied. "He wants my friendship, nothing else. He... is sweet and kind and I want his friendship in return."

When the door closed behind her, Sarutobi sighed. He wasn't sure how well it would go but now that it is done, he felt just a little bit more...filthy for manipulating her to that. It was a feeling that, as Hokage, he had to become very familiar with. "Don't ever take this chair, Naruto, you're too good for it."

—oo000oo—

Author's Notes: This story was a challenge by Fan of Fanfics. Now, as for why it has been so long since I did any kind of update, my computer went to crap. Everything I had on it was lost. Everything. I can't even say how disheartening that is. I lost several gigabytes of documents, story ideas, notes, and other things I needed to write. Some of it is still in my head, yes, but the heart to do it is gone for most.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto stood before the Hokage, barely believing what he heard. Without asking his thoughts, the Old Man had just told him that he was getting married, to Blink of all people. "...Huh?" Even the Phalanx enhanced part of his brain couldn't come up with something more intelligent to say.

"Is there something you don't understand, Naruto," Sarutobi asked.

"Yeah, all of it," he almost snapped.

"Very well then, I shall try to explain." Sarutobi moved behind his desk and sat down. "Tea?"

Blink took a cup and slowly sipped it, Naruto didn't. "No, I don't want tea! I want to know what is going on!" Naruto tried to keep his face straight as he noticed Sarutobi put a jar of honey next to his cup. "...Maybe just a little, but you aren't buying me off that easy!" Sarutobi waited until Naruto mixed his cup and gave a sigh after that first dink to continue.

"The answer, Naruto, is Clarice-chan herself. If she is to stay here, which she has expressed some interest in, she will need both a means to support herself and a way to support the village. Immediately, her ability to 'blink' as you call it came into suggestion by my advisers. And I do not whole heartily disagree. The ability to bend time and space is a rare and powerful one. The Fourth could and it was that same skill that led to his being made Hokage. What little we were able to learn of her parents through her DNA suggest that this is an inherited ability, a kekkie genkai. But as you also know, Clarice is different from us, just a little."

"Yeah, she is from a different dimension."

"Right. Idealistically, to improve chances of a viable offspring, it would take someone who's family was well known for their physical endurance, great constitution...'

"Uh oh," Naruto muttered.

"...Longevity, even individuals known to have special chakra, and has had history with time space jutsus as well. That last might or might not help but it can't hurt," Sarutobi continued as if he hadn't spoken up. Naruto dropped his head as he continued and for good reason. The Uzumaki clan was well documented in this village. Had to be as their clan symbol was on the uniform of all Konoha ninja so no one that wasn't a ninja, nor of the clan, was allowed to wear it.

"Meaning me," Naruto groaned.

"Yes," Sarutobi said apologetically. "Should Clarice decide she does not wish to stay, she will be allowed to leave, not that we could stop her, and you will of course not have to..consummate the marriage." Both teenagers blushed at that, looking away from each other. "Because of the situation, you two will officially be married today but not in a formal marriage. If you two decide to ever have one, that will be up to you."

"And I don't have a choice," Naruto muttered.

"No, you do not. As long as you have that headband, it will happen. I am sorry Naruto, but this is what the village needs you to do."

"Man," Naruto groaned, growled as he rubbed his hair in frustration. "This is so unfair."

"Naruto, you know life is unfair. More so for you than others and I apologize for that as well."

"...And this won't be a problem," Naruto asked, motioning to his arm.

"The infection is sealed so it won't effect your health, if that is what you are asking. And it didn't reach...there so it should not effect any child you may have."

"So long as this seal remains intact," Naruto asked, tracing the line on his chest.

"The new seal has been tied to another seal, Naruto, it will never fail, even should you die. Sigh. Regardless, even so once you do die, you are being cremated."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Naruto glanced to Blink and saw her just refilling her cup. "Don't you have anything to say about this?"

"...Will you pass the honey," she asked him. Naruto just stared before offering it to her. "Thank you."

"...That's it? Your life is being screwed with as well and that's all you can say?"

"Naruto, even with this arranged marriage this is very much so better than my old life. The Hokage has even offered to help me gain control of my powers. I can't even express how relieved and grateful I was to hear him say he could. Life won't be easy here, it never is anywhere, but its better than the running, hiding, living like a, a rat as I had to endure before hand. So I'm being asked to marry you, I still have the chance to say no! That's more than the Hokage had when he had to get an arranged marriage." Naruto looked to Sarutobi Hiruzen and saw him nod.

"I grew to love my wife very much, Naruto, but we met in less than ideal conditions."

Blink kept going, "There is an entire world out there and I could explore all of it unseen...eventually. If we can't stand each other then I could just vanish and that will be the end of it. So please, could we give it a chance?"

Naruto let out his breath, having almost been blown back by what she said. He honestly expected her to be as upset as he was but it seems she was upset _that_ he was. "...Sorry, Blink-chan, sorry Old Man. I'm a ninja now so I'll act like it. If...Blink is fine with this then so am I. _Acronym, FINE. Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, Emotion._" Naruto widened his eyes and slapped a hand over his mouth. "...Sorry, that happens sometimes."

Naruto turned to Blink when she suddenly started laughing. When she calmed down to just chuckling, she rubbed a hand over her right eye and said, "Yes, Naruto, I'm F.I.N.E. as well. You don't go through what I have this week and not be F.I.N.E."

"Are you two going to be able to handle this," Sarutobi asked, glad to see something besides anger.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Blink said with a nod. "I think we can."

"...I do too," Naruto finished. "It'll take some getting used to...and maybe a new apartment."

"You'll be...fine," Sarutobi said with a wry grin. "You always land on your feet somehow, Naruto. You should go try to get you home ready for Clarice-chan to stay there until you find someplace bigger. Clarice will be busy this afternoon with paperwork."

"Paperwork," the two asked.

"Mostly it will be medical history and other such things. We will also need to complete a physical for you, discover any allergies you may have, and we will need samples of your blood to make sure that any of our medicines aren't poisonous to you. I'm afraid it'll be a lot of pokes and prods now that you have agreed to stay."

"Oh joy," Blink grumbled. "Should I head to the hospital now?"

"Out into the waiting area is fine, I'll walk you there." Blink stood up and left first, letting Sarutobi say this to the boy in private. "I can keep her busy for a few hours, Naruto, please try to have your home cleaned up by then." Naruto let out the breath he had been holding this whole time at the thought of a girl seeing his home. "I don't know how dirty it is, I don't want to know, just...make it presentable and be ready to move it around until Clarice-chan finds it perfect. Which..." He trailed off, grimacing as he thought back to having to do the same for his wife many, many times over the years.

"Thanks Old Man," Naruto said before jumping out the window, headed for home.

—oo000oo—

Walking through his door, Naruto spammed his kage bunshin, assigning five to each room. Going into his side room, he groaned as he saw everything he had to move. "Man..." This room had the largest windows and a balcony so he had bought a plant to keep here. Finding it nice, he kept buying them until... "...Where am I going to find the room for twenty seven large plants and small trees?"

Nearly two hours later, one Naruto was outside, throwing a bag of garbage into the dumpster and as he wiped his forehead, he heard the Old Man talking as he walked by. Naruto almost called out to him until he saw Blink. "...Frack!" The clone jumped up to his house and called out, "Blink is outside, coming up the stairs!"

"What!? We're not ready!"

"FFFFUUUU..." That one got slapped on the back of the head.

"No cursing in front of Blink-chan until we at least knows how she feels about them," he was chastised.

Down stairs, Blink was still a little confused. "I still say that was hardly 'nothing but pokes and prods'."

"Well, maybe you were just expecting more, Clarice-chan," Sarutobi dismissed. "Remember, we can tell health without complicated machines."

"Still..." She look over to the side as it sounded like a bunch of stuff was being thrown out to the ground. "You hear that?"

"...No," Sarutobi said, turning his ear to where she looked. "Can't say I do."

"Huh. Anyway, which one is Naruto's?"

"The top one. The floor is smaller than the ones below it but it only has the one apartment so it should be big enough for the two of you for now." Unnoticed by Clarice, Sarutobi knocked twice on a wooden beam. _'Please Naruto, have it ready.'_

Coming to an open door, Clarice peeked inside and said, "Ummm...that is more plants than I expected." Sarutobi looked inside and while every window had a stand and several plants in front of it, the room was presentable, just as he asked.

"No, not here," Naruto said, walking into the den, holding a bonsai tree. "Maybe here?" He set it on a small table before frowning. "Not here either. Maybe move the hibiscis? No, no, no, too little light with the..."

"Ahem," Sarutobi cleared his throat, getting Naruto to jump a little.

"Gah! Old Man, Blink, I wasn't ready!" Frowning while blowing his breath up to his hair, Naruto left the small tree on the coffee table. "I guess...welcome home, Blink."

"Thank you, Naruto," she said, walking in and looking at a vine called a Chain of Hearts that he hung the pot from the ceiling. "Never pictured you the green thumb type."

Naruto rubbed his arm and looked away. "I...never had friends to hang around with and when I was given that first one so long ago, I liked it."

"A lot, apparently." Blink started walking around, looking at them all and her new home. Seeing three doors, she opening them and found the first room with a dresser, bed that had been stripped of linen and blankets and several other furniture. "Your room?"

"No, yours. I had to leave some plants in the room they were in so I figured I would take that one and leave you the other."

"I can handle a few plants..." She looked inside the second room and trailed off. "Why do you have a tree two meters tall?"

"...It wasn't that big when I got it," Naruto muttered, again rubbing his arm once more. "It's over a support so that's why it's staying there. More than strong enough to hold it. If it gets much bigger, no where else will be."

"...Alright, that's your room. But where's your bed?"

"I have a futon in the closet," Naruto replied.

"...Kay, if you're sure." Blink went into her new room, letting both men sigh.

"I was almost worried, Naruto."

"Have a little faith, Old Man," Naruto replied. "Its not like I would save the last of it for right before you arrived." Outside, his clones were cleaning up all the garbage they had just thrown out into the alley.

Sarutobi sighed and smiled. "You're right, I should of had more faith in you, Naruto." Suddenly he turned to the kitchenette and went for the cupboards. Opening them, he found most of the ones for food rather empty save a small supply of ramen. "...Better than I thought but where is the rest of it?"

"...No where," Naruto replied, trying to ignore the wonderful taste of chicken, beef, shrimp, and many different others he had gorged himself on to make space in the cabinets. There was nearly an uprising with his clones as he was the only one to eat.

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes at the young man but let it go. He then checked the refrigerator and grabbed the milk, checking the date on it. "...Sorry Naruto, I was just sure that you would have... that you wouldn't be ready."

"I'm hurt, Old Man, wounded, truly," Naruto replied, holding a hand over his heart. "I'm sorry its rather bare, I wasn't expecting to need more just yet."

"I'll get you a stipend to get you more," the Hokage told him. "And more furniture and some clothes for Clarice. I actually had a ninja of mine go out to grab some for a change of clothes for her."

"Speak of the devil, and she shall appear," a jonin wearing a trench coat and a orange skirt said cheekily. "Hey Naruto."

"Anko, staying out of trouble?"

"Of course, do I look like someone that would be any trouble at all," she asked, her grin saying it all. "..." Both men looked at each other and didn't answer. "Poo, you're no fun," she pouted. "Oh well. So, how is the married life, Whiskers?"

"Work, work, work," he muttered.

"Well, don't worry, I got something that might make it better for you. Hey, Pinkette!"

Clarice came out of her room, sighing. "Please, Miss Anko, call me by my name."

"Hmm. No. Here, got you a new dress and a few other things," Anko said, handing her a plastic bag and a paper sack.

Blink pulled out the dress, a soft blue dress with no sleeves, a modest cut for the bust, and a knee length skirt. "Wow, Anko, I didn't think you could buy something so girly," Naruto said only to stop at Blink's glare. Suddenly he was slapped on the back of the head by Sarutobi.

"Got him for you," the old man said.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Blink said with a smile. She then opened the paper sack and started to reach in before her face went from pink to red as she snapped it shut. "...Sorry, Naruto."

Causing Naruto to laugh, "Hah, I knew she would get something embarrassing! Come on, what's in there?"

"None of your business," she yelled before running into her room and slammed the door shut.

"...I'm going to guess bra and panties," Sarutobi said, clearing his throat as he looked from the door.

"Black lacy ones," Anko chuckled. "She's going to be very surprised when she finds they fit too. I wanted to get her these ones that look more like eye-patches but she isn't big enough for those." Sarutobi suddenly slapped Naruto on the back of the head again.

"What was that one for!?"

"To keep you from thinking about it," Sarutobi challenged him to deny it.

"...I'm a teenage boy, I'm allowed to have a few moments," Naruto defended himself.

Sighing, Sarutobi went and knocked on Clarice's door. "Clarice-chan, when you are ready, Naruto will take you to get more clothes as well as supplies."

"Supplies for what," Naruto asked.

"Clarice needs training in her ability. As this is an advance skill that can't be taught at the academy, she will be assigned to a genin team, your team."

"Which is? Wait, wasn't that supposed to be today!?"

"Yes, Naruto, it was. As for your team, because of certain circumstances, you and Clarice are to be assigned to one instructor alone and will be doing missions with other teams. When you are ready which will not be soon. I want you both fully prepared and able to use you abilities, Clarice her 'blink' and you your eye and anything your hand may be able to do."

"Who is the instructor," Naruto asked, not seeing Anko's grin widen.

"Um... She was the second in the Interrogation Department. Despite what she may make you think, she is rather extraordinary, adaptable and innovative. Which is understandable as, even with some problems that came with, she was trained by one of the most brilliant and skilled ninjas this village ever had. He was actually in the running to be the Fourth Hokage with Namikaze Minato."

"Who is she," Naruto asked again.

"...Mitarashi Anko."

Said jonin suddenly threw her arms over Naruto and said, "I promise to be gentle, Whiskers!" While those reasons were true, there was one other reason. Anko was playful, yes, but she was also pragmatic. She could kill a student if it was needed. And with Clarice with the ability to cause untold damage unlike they had ever seen before and Naruto being infected with a virus of similar danger, such a person was needed.

"...You're punishing me, aren't you," Naruto asked in a deadened voice.

"Now why would I punished you Naruto? Not like you would ever... oh, paint the monument, harass citizens of the village, and be an all around deviant."

"I hate you, Old Man, I really do." Naruto sighed, rubbing his palm against his forehead. "So, no missions at all?"

"None for at least the first month," Sarutobi confirmed.

"Our only focus is to get you two ready," Anko told him. "I've seen footage when Pinkette sliced up that shuriken. She hates it, she hates that she has it, she would like nothing more than to not have the ability."

"Considering when I woke it, I woke up in a pool of blood when I was only a little girl, I think I have a right to," Blink interrupted, having walked out after securing her new garments.

"Maybe so," Anko conceded. "But that is a part of you, it will never leave whether you like it or not. And refusing to acknowledge it won't protect you, it will only get you or someone else killed." Sarutobi stepped back, letting Anko explain it now. Moving to the coffee table, he looked at the bonsai tree a moment before turning it a little. It wasn't elaborate, just a sakura tree that Naruto coerced to grow in a bit of a curve to the trunk and flowering out like an umbrella on the top. He had even encouraged it to keep the blooms a bit longer.

"...With all the trouble he got into, where did he get the time to do this," Sarutobi wondered aloud.

"That? Simple, Old Man, I don't sleep. How are we supposed to support ourselves if we don't do any missions at all," Naruto explained before he continued to argue with Anko.

—oo000oo—

"Okay, first we will need the basic kit," Naruto said, walking into a supplies vendor. "That is a pouch with a small first aid kit, smoke bombs, sewing kit, flint, steel, blagh blagh blagh," Naruto suddenly cut off. "Pretty much if its a survival item, we'll want it."

"Why will I need these," Blink asked.

"Because our instructor is Anko," Naruto told her ruefully. "She's a good person, and deep down she's nice. Real deep. But I digress, she is thorough in everything she does. If she is to train you, she will train you in everything she can."

"I see. Am I...going to become a killer?"

Naruto stopped moving a moment, trying hard to think of an answer. "We do many things in Konoha. I'm not idealistic enough to believe they're all nice. In fact even the nice things aren't nice at all." Naruto clicked his tongue before saying, "We do things like walking pets, pulling weeds, painting and so forth. But we charge for them and use them to help new shinobi and kunoichi become teams. That is mostly what the last two years of the academy truly was. Stripping away thoughts of personal glory in exchange for thoughts of teamwork. To find the leaders among the students, to see whom works well with whom and who can work with anyone. Missions are put into their records, how they perform, and documentation on how to improve them. Each student is given a portion of pay as a true ninja would, to instill a sense that work done is rewarded. If you don't work, fail the mission in some fashion, or cause problems in the team, you aren't paid."

Clarice blinked in surprise hearing Naruto talk so seriously. "That's...very mature."

"Yeah...let me tell you, the rowdiest night in Konoha each year is that first mission night, when a bunch of fourteen year olds suddenly get their hands on a descent amount of ryo and are told to use it as they see fit. Some get new supplies, some save it, a lot do stupid things with it. Think themselves clever and used the Henge jutsu to try and get things they aren't supposed to. They aren't fooling anyone but it's become something of a tradition. As has the punishment they get the next day for doing it." Naruto smirked as he thought back to the 'focusing' lesson they had to do the day after. His class had to take a comprehensive skills test while _loud_ music was playing, and not the party kind.

"Really? What did you do?"

"...Was it the sequoia or the bonsai tree," Naruto wondered aloud. "I wasn't...welcome in most parties, as you might imagine. But we got it in our heads to work together even if we didn't like one another."

"What was it like?"

"...Hard," Naruto said simply. Seeing her still curious, Naruto sighed and said, "After the third year, we were given a comp. test. This test was the first to start eliminating...those that can't do it. I failed it twice, almost a third. Ten, twenty years ago, passing would've been the end of it but now we had time to get ninja out mature and skilled enough to handle being a ninja. From there, the academy changed. We...weren't coddled. I, by then, had just lost my innocence and saw my first true look at what being a ninja meant. I wasn't so shocked by it but the others... I think when Ibiki came in and spoke to us that moment the others truly noticed the change. Some, the kinder ones mostly, started leaving, finding something else to do."

"You're kind, why didn't you?"

"Because being a ninja was all I had," Naruto said truthfully. "I learned something life changing three years ago, and it made me realize that even if I wanted to do something more normal, I would never be able to."

"What was it?"

"Sorry, Blink, that I'm not ready to reveal," Naruto told her. "Anyway, those that stayed, they had something that kept them going. Uchiha Sasuke, you'll see him around, that prick's family was murdered. And he... He's an ass, thinks about killing too much. But he's a determined ass, strong and skilled. Haruno Sakura, she's smart. You likely won't find anyone more book smart in the village. She was weak, as you wouldn't believe. Then came the lessons about being captured, for male and female, and what might happen to both. After that...they pulled a surprise on us. I'm not sure what happened to Sakura but she was different afterward." Naruto rubbed his arm, feeling some phantom there. "She never matched up to some in ninjutsu and taijutsu but..."

"Ninjutsu?"

"Oh, like this." Naruto made a cross with his fingers and summoned a clone.

"Hiya, Blink-chan," the clone said cheekily, suddenly catching her arm and spinning her in close. "A ninjutsu is taking chakra and using it to affect the world physically. I am a Kage Bunshin, a Shadow Clone, a physical copy of Naruto with his mind and memories." Letting go and stepping back, he bowed and popped in a cloud of smoke.

"Like he said, physical. Taijutsu is body skills, martial arts. Genjutsu is mind techniques, the art of manipulation," Naruto continued. "I am skilled at ninjutsu and taijutsu. Sakura became skilled at genjutsu. Scary skilled. She also studied anatomy and how to be a medic. And she has a short temper for people that mess up."

"Who else was there," Blink asked, picking up a round, tan pouch like Naruto wore.

"Inuzuka Kiba, good guy if you earn his trust. Loyal and protective. He works with his dog, Akamaru. Lot like a dog, too. He's been trying to impress this one girl for years. Hyuuga Hinata. She's quiet, stands back away from what's happening. She's supposed to be some kind of princess but you can't tell, very humble. Like Sakura she's a medic, makes the best medical cream in Konoha. She didn't become a medic to figure out how to better hurt someone though. Hinata genuinely cares, about everyone even. She's one of the few nice ones that made it through. Aburame Shino, if there was anyone in class ready to be a ninja for a long time now, it's him. He's calm, collected, focused, skilled, he's the instant team leader out of any team. Whenever I got put with him and the instructors pulled another of their 'surprises', he never lost his cool and knew exactly what to do."

"What were those 'surprises'," Blink asked.

"...My least favorite was we got separated into teams and then on the way to missions, we were attacked by the instructors, disguised as enemy ninja. I was with Hinata and this girl named Ame, never cared for her much. We had already been given the mission when sudden, boom, covered in smoke and they were on us. They came and were gone almost as quickly." Naruto sighed as he thought about it. "And they took Hinata with them. We figured it out quickly what was going on so we started arguing what to do, complete the mission or go after her."

"What did you do?"

Naruto gave a wry grin. "Our team was the only one that fully passed that test, we did the mission and went after her. I made a dozen clones and sent them to take care of the mission, told Ame that if she wanted to, she could go with them and finish it but I was going for my teammate. She joined me. We got there, Hinata was near hyperventilating. She's been kidnapped for real, before. She was going to lose points on this test for not being calm. Suddenly, while we were attacking the instructors, she slipped free her bonds, and attacked with us. She broke one of their arms. Even having been faking though, she was crying at the end. I had to hold her in a hug for a half hour for her to calm down. She still hates that test and hasn't forgiven them for it."

Blink just looked to Naruto, unsure what to make of this. That spoke much about him to be willing to discard his mission to save his friend. "What was the right answer? And did you hate them for it?"

"...There was no right answer to that test. We answered it the best but Kage Bunshin are fragile, they only have my personality. What if there was a secondary ambush? What if Ame was needed at the mission for some reason or for something I couldn't handle. It was complicated. I don't think even the instructors had an agreed correct answer. And no, I didn't and still don't hate them. They were trying to help us, to get us ready for a very harsh and sometimes cruel reality."

"Maybe but that sounds very..." Blink shook her head, trying hard to remember that things are different here. Seeing a small case like Naruto had on his right leg, she picked it up and opened it to find shuriken inside it. "Will I need these?"

"Probably," Naruto replied, grabbing a box and a belt sheath for seven kunai. "Lastly we'll need a uniform and that will be it for the kunoichi supplies."

"One of those blue jumpsuits and a vest?"

"No, not those. You don't rate the vest yet, I don't even rate the vest. That is a sign of rank for a chunin. I am only a genin and you aren't either." Naruto took her to the clothing section. "Just pick somethings that you think you can work out in them, when you find something you like, we'll get several sets of it. Unless you want to get that nice dress of yours torn up. Preferably something that either offers some kind of protection or can't be used against your in combat."

"...I'm not a ninja, Naruto," she replied, turning to him.

"Well, you still should. If you're going to train in your abilities, you'll still need it." Naruto walked her over to the clothing and started glancing around. "See anything?"

"Well..." Blink felt a little awkward doing this but she had to do it, she didn't have any clothes. "Wait, there's only one size."

"Yeah, most is made to size. They'll get you a set today and will make several to be sent to us later."

"Why don't they make several in different sizes?"

"Because of this," Naruto answered by opening his vest and revealing a zipper on the inside. Opening it showed a silver threads. "Onigumo silk, to say the least its expensive. Not only because it is rare but because onimumos are known to eat people if they're hungry."

"Onigumo, what's that?"

"Monster spiders, larger than...a pickup truck from your world when fully grown. Sometimes they live to be, oh, five hundred years old." Grabbing a jacket, he opened it to reveal the same zipper. "All of these clothes are for ninjas and students, I know, you're not a ninja but bare with me. They need to be able to help a person survive as long as possible when worn. As the web is expensive and hard to gather, it isn't put in the design samples, it is only prepared when used, and is cut to shape. And we're getting multiples of the same so that when they're damaged, we can cannibalize them to make complete, undamaged sets. They also make mesh webbing out of it like Anko wears if that's your thing."

"Strong?"

"Lot like chain-mail if you know what that is. It'll stop a slash and weak stab, shuriken and kunai will bounce off or won't get very far through, something that slides between them like shenbons or pierces and breaks like arrows won't be stopped but those are rare. Shorts," he said suddenly, looking at her legs.

"What," Blink asked, jumping back.

"I asked if you wanted shorts. Or do you want pants?"

"Oh...shorts is fine."

"Kay... Tee shirt and vest sound good?"

"Yes."

Naruto nodded and started looking around. "Hey." He help up a dark blue, short sleeve shirt with white flowers on it. "This'll look good on you." He held it out for her to look at.

"Huh..."

"What?"

"Just surprised, you have good taste."

"What is that supposed to mean," Naruto challenged.

"Well, you are wearing orange pants and jacket," she said teasingly.

"Hey, first off, orange is a happy color, second this is burnt orange!" Naruto half growled under his breath as he turned away. _'No way am I telling her I wore bright orange when I was a kid. That I'll take to the grave if this is how she's acting.'_

"Sure, sure," Blink teased. "Now some shoes."

"Yeah..." Naruto paused and glanced down at her feet.

"Now what," Blink asked.

"Well, its just that...I don't know if you're feet are tough enough for sandals is all."

"Now what are you getting at?"

"Just thinking maybe boots instead of sandals is all."

"...You're the ninja, I'll defer to your judgment. And why wouldn't I be tough enough!?"

"You haven't done a lot of tree hopping without shoes is all," Naruto replied without looking. "Boots are made to stay on no matter what, sandals can slip off as needed." Naruto paused and sighed before turning back to her "Sorry, in training we had to learn how to run up the side of a tree without our shoes on. By the end of the day, several had blisters, sores, and many other uncomfortable things. You aren't ready for that so better go with the boots to help protect your feet."

"...What have I gotten myself into," Blink said ruefully but still felt like smiling. "In all truth, the things you describe almost sound like hell, Naruto. Yet you never seem down, never let it get to you."

"That's easy," Naruto said before facing her and grinning. "Because being Hokage is my dream!" Blink's smile slipped a little, thinking about what she knew of the man and what was likely required by his mantle.

"I don't know," she said slowly.

"Hey, don't tell me you doubt me too!?"

"Oh no, not that," Blink said urgently. "Its just that I've noticed that the person that can do the most good for a people often isn't a leader but that strong individual that can act on a leaders command. I mean, do you really want to..." She trailed off, seeing Naruto turn those big blue eyes to her and just didn't have heart to finish it. Naruto may have thought he was ready to be a ninja and he might have been, but he still had a naive view about part of it, you could tell by him speaking of the title.

"Want to what," Naruto asked when she didn't speak. Keeping silent a moment, Naruto frowned. "Blink, I know this might sound odd, considering I just told you no, but how are we going to do this if we don't talk and trust one another?"

"...What if you have to do something one day that hurts you to do? And I don't mean physically."

"Then...I hope the trials I will go through from now on will leave me strong enough to do it. Okay, that thing earlier, what I said I wasn't ready to reveal...I'm still not but I can say the reason why. It is part of a secret, one that because of, I became important to Konoha much like you have. When I learned the secret, I didn't think much of it but eventually I figured it out. I'm a ninja because I'm not...accepted in Konoha enough to do anything else. And Konoha will never let me leave to do something else somewhere else."

Blink stared at him in surprise, wondering what could be so important to force someone to stay that you don't want there to begin with. "That...doesn't make much sense," she stated.

"One of those, 'You're too valuable to let leave' things," Naruto stated. "The Uzumaki clan were well known for their skill with seals as well as everything the Old Man said. Truth is, my mother's side has been bred as weapons for three generations. They don't dare let me go, despite how much they hate needing me." Naruto sighed at the half truth he told her but knew that if he ever spoke the truth, it would be after she got to understand what this world was like. Better to change the subject entirely. "So, how did you meet Anko?"

—oo000oo—

_As the medic moved her hands over the back of Clarice's techo suit that Harvest put her in, the Hokage walked in with with a woman with purple hair and wearing a trench coat. "Clarice, this is Anko, she is being assigned to you as both a guard and an aid."_

"_In short, you can't keep wearing that...whatever it is Pinkette," Anko suddenly spoke up. "He asked me to help get you some clothes."_

"_...Then why the guard part?"_

"_Just in case there is something that needs measuring at the clotheing store," Anko stated._

"_What do you... What are you doing!? Stop that, don't grab those!"_

"_Oh hush up Pinkette, not like there's really anything to grab," Anko teased._

—oo000oo—

"...She helped me get some clothes while you were asleep," Blink replied. "What about you?"

"Heh, a few months after that comprehensive skills test, there was a Chunin Exam held here in Konoha. A Chunin Exam is a test to see if Genin are ready to be promoted while showing off a villages strength. Someone came up with the idea that the advance students should help the instructors giving the exam. You know, gofers, guides, aids, so on. Anko was one of them."

"Why have you help?"

"Anyone taking the Chunin Exam is doing it for two reasons. One, it is their last hope of promotion or two, they're strong enough that their village wants to show them off to clients. Most chunin and jonin are given field promotions, they're just handed the jacket in a private ceremony but to be selected for the exam at a young age is a great honor. Regardless of if you are the first group or second though, something holds true to them all. Each genin in the exam is a veteran worthy of title of ninja, having gone through enough dangers to have earned it. By having us there, seeing what we could become, it gave us a focus, a goal to push ourselves to. It also gave us a chance to meet our possibly future jonin senseis. People like Sarutobi Asuma, one of the Twelve Ninja of Fire, Yuhi Kurenai, the greatest genjutsu mistress of her generation. I even met Maito Gai, the best taijutsu master in the village." Here Naruto grimace, "And Hatake Kakashi."

"Who's he?"

"...A kekkie genkai transplant survivor. He was also trained by the Yondiame Hokage."

"Okay, why don't you like him?"

"He was late. By three slaggen hours, and he just waved it off like it was okay. Then he said something to Iruka-sensei, insulted him really."

"Oh..." Blink thought back to her stay in the hospital and to the many times she saw the man visiting Naruto. "You two seem close."

"I would give my life for Iruka-sensei," Naruto said strongly, turning to face her. "When no one in this village seemed to care and spoke of nothing but lies, he was there, recognizing _me_, saying he believed in me and my potential, that he cared. He became a pillar of strength when I needed it most. It is for Iruka-sensei I do my best."

Clarice blinked, seeing a new facet of Naruto that surprised her. "...Oh yeah, and Anko?"

"Right, Anko. Um, as we were being assigned, it seemed more and more like I would be put with Kakashi. I looked around and saw one jonin that didn't have any students with her, looking back I think she was scaring them off, but when Kakashi actually looked at me like he was going to come over and get me, I almost ran to her." Naruto started chuckling, "I could almost say that was the worst week of my life, she put me through hell. But at some point, I don't know when, she started easing up, just a little."

—oo000oo—

"_Alright, gaki, stop," Anko called, looking at Naruto as he tried to carefully set down the stack of scrolls he held and had painstakingly put together. "It's been five days now, why haven't you quit yet?"_

"_Because I refuse to," Naruto growled._

"_You think that's a good thing," Anko fired back. "Bullheaded stubbornness does not a good ninja make."_

"_No, it doesn't. But Iruka-sensei told me once that it is the trials of childhood that shapes us as adults. And look! I've had to out run and dodge giant tigers, leaches, monsters and worse of all you when you got angry at me! If this doesn't help shape me into a better ninja, nothing will!"_

_Anko stared at him quietly a moment before smiling sadisticly. "Alright Whiskers, you want to stick around, you can! But fair warning," she said happily, "you're asking for it."_

"_Bring it, Dattabayo!"_

—oo000oo—

"...She stabbed me in the butt with a kunai before the end," Naruto said, suddenly rubbing his back side, "but...I don't know. A week afterwords she came back, the only instructor that did, and she checked up on me and at times took me training. We became friends after that." He glanced around and whispered, "On my birthday she got me my first bansai tree, and I still have it. I even gave her a hug and she didn't stab me for it." Naruto stepped back and cleared his throat, again looking around to make sure no one heard him. "Ahem, Mitarashi Anko is one mean witch and there is no way she would ever be nice to anyone." Another glance and he explained, "In a village built around spying, you never know who's watching and listening in on someone." Sudden, most of the village gave a sneeze. "You hear something?"

"I think the cashier sneezed is all," Blink dismissed. "She stabbed you in the butt?" Naruto just chuckled.

—oo000oo—

"...You sure this is...ninja uniform appropriate," Blink asked, stepping out the store in calf tall tan boots and hot pants with thigh high blue stockings, the blue shirt with white flowers and a black, sleeveless vest with a hood. "It doesn't look very sneaky."

"Yeah, it's perfect. And you do have the legs for it."

"Hey," Blink snapped, moving the bag with her dress and other supplies before them.

"Just saying. And as for how sneaky it is... Well." He made a kage bunshin who then used the henge to cover himself in a black sneaking outfit with a black hood and mask. "With the ability to just use the Henge jutsu to change appearance as needed, what we wear is really of little problem. But the true reason is that ninja are everywhere now a days, and people know that. So which is truly more sneaky, the one that screams ninja?"

The Clone raised his hand and said, "Yo. Or the one that looks like just some guy you'll pass on the street."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Blink muttered.

"But of course," both the original and clone said before hearing a bell and suddenly looking to a clock set along the road. "Is it that late already," the clone asked. "Wait, Bosu, isn't it Monday?"

"...Slag! Blink, I just remembered something I need to do. Just head on home or walk about or have fun. I shouldn't be longer than an hour. He'll stay and help you if you need or want him too." He turned and ran off. "Frack, how could I forget, I've only been doing this for a year!?"

"Where's he going," Blink muttered before facing the clone.

"To meet a friend," the clone said, pulling off the mask. "So, now that we have this taken care of, I guess it's time to have some fun. I got it, the latest Kazehana Yukie film is in theaters, want to go watch it?"

"But, Naruto..." She looked after the original, confused.

—oo000oo—

Rubbing her face as she got out of bed the next morning, Blink yawned as she pulled herself to the bathroom. Turning on the water of the shower and stepping in, she realized once again that she might be in over her head. Last night, even after Naruto returned from where ever he was, she saw that there was a certain distance he never let her get closer than. If she was to watch him to keep him safe, she was off to a bad start. Naruto did like her, and he did trust her but only to a degree. There was always these guards up around some things about him, especially his past and personal aspects of it.

"...How am I going to do this," she couldn't help but wonder. It was almost enough to make her wish she let the Hokage go through with his plan. Almost. "...Huh?" She heard singing coming from the kitchen. That wasn't odd, Naruto often had some tune on the mind. No, the odd part was the pitch, it sounded like Naruto but it was higher at the same time.

"I tell you, I tell you, the dragonborn comes," the voice sang as she grabbed a towel and put it around her body. "With a voice wielding power of the ancient Nord arts, believe, believe, the dragonborn comes."

Grabbing a knife from her room, Blink stepped out and shouted, "Alright, who are..." a red headed girl the same age as Naruto turned to look at her, eyes wide, whiskered cheeks turning flush from her techno eye to fingers, as she jumped behind the counter to hide that she is only wearing boxers and a T-shirt, "you... Naruto?"

"Blink, what are you doing up so early," Naruto nearly shouted before looking down at... herself, himself? ...in shock. "Wait, I can explain, I'll change back and..."

"Don't you dare move, Naruto, what is going on!?"

Naruto seemed to shrink on him, her, self as he, she, bit their lip. "Well, I'm practicing."

"Practicing what," she demanded.

"Well, um, being a girl I guess."

Blink just stared for several moment before shaking her head, not believing what she heard. "What?"

"Well, the best disguises are ones that are flawless, that when you change into them they're seamless," Naruto said, poking her, his, fingers together. "So, I've had clones or myself just...become Naruko and doing things around the village. For the...last few years..."

"..." Blink couldn't even say anything, she just dropped her jaw. It took several moments before Naruko saw something, her shoulders were shaking because she couldn't get her laughter out. "My...husband dresses up in...drag..."

"Hey," Naruko pouted cutely, "this is _not_ drag! This is an actual transformation and I do it to become a great ninja!"

"I'm sorry, it's just so funny!" Maybe there wasn't so much hidden about Naruto after all. When someone does something weird every now and then, talk backwards or wear their pants on their head or some such, you can pretty much figure them out. It's the ones that have everything in order that is truly up to something.

"Blink, stop laughing!" She could only fall against the wall, covering her face with her hands.

—oo000oo—

"Hey, Whiskers, feed me," Anko shouted as she burst through the door to Naruto's apartment only to find Blink laughing as she tried to calm herself enough to eat while Naruto stood to the side in his pants and t-shirt, growling a little. "Okay, what's gotten Pinkette in stitches?"

"Heh heh hehehe," Blink giggled before saying, "this morning, I found Naruto..." Naruto dived across the table to cover her mouth.

"I slipped," Naruto answered for her. "Dropped the pie I had planned for desert tonight right on my face. Funniest thing I ever heard of."

"Really," Anko questioned while looking to Blink to see her shaking her head. "I think maybe Pinkette is laughing about something else."

"No, that was it." Blink shook her head again. "Quiet you. It was the pie, Anko."

"Sure it was, Whiskers." Suddenly Anko was across the room, trying to pull him off. "What was it, tell me!"

"No!"

"Quick, Pinkette, while I got him distracted!"

"Noooo," Naruto cried as he felt his hand started to get pulled off. Pushing a shoulder against Anko, he was about to get back into place when she tackled him to the floor, holding his head down with her chest.

"Hah! The Crevice Hold never fails," Anko cheered as Naruto was struggling far less now.

"..." Blink looked to how she had him pinned and honestly felt little about it. "Anko, please don't hold him like that, he is married now."

"Oh fine," Anko said, shifting around until she was sitting down on his chest. "Now, what were you laughing about?"

That got her to grin again. "Naruto dresses up in drag!"

"Oh, is that all," Anko muttered before getting up off him. "Pretty girl with blond hair pulled into twin pony tails? That was just his Oiroke no Jutsu. He used it to good effect when he was young against some perverts."

"People know about that," Blink asked.

"Yeah, hard not to notice a teenage boy change into a girl with wisp of smoke covering certain naughty bits."

Blink frowned until she noticed something. "Wait, he wasn't a blond when he..." Another Naruto appeared and covered her mouth.

"Nope, I was, that was just the morning sun playing tricks on you," Naruto told her.

"This I got to hear," Anko said, smiling again as she realized something really was going on.

Blink pulled his hand down and said, "She was a red head!"

"A red head, huh," Anko asked, looking down to the Naruto she sat on, trying to picture it. Actually, when told what to think of, she found it very easy. "...Anzu?"

"Ah man, I'm never going to hear the end of this," both Narutos groaned.

—oo000oo—

Shortly after the three of them were outside training field forty four, Anko still pestering Naruto about what she suspected. "Not going to answer you, Anko, no matter how many times you ask," he said stubbornly.

"...Poo," she muttered before clearing her throat. "Anyway, time for work. You two and I are now designated Team XI. As we are not a mission going team, we are not given the same class of name. My purpose as you already know is to A, guide you as you expand into your abilities and hopefully beyond them, and B, guard you until such a time that you don't need me to, as you both possess something that if useful will be invaluable to the village. The methods I use may not always be nice, there will be periods that you hate me, but at the end of all this, you will functioning ninja with complete mastery over your bodies and the elements around you. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Anko-sensei," Naruto said without hesitation.

"Y-Yes," Blink said softer. "But I'm not a ninja."

Anko stared at her a moment and shrugged. "Second verse same as the first. But don't ever contradict me again while we are training, am I understood?"

"I...do," Blink replied, unsure about this latest shift in who she thought might be a friend. For Naruto's part, he was a little surprised. Anko hurt him when he did that the first time. Not badly mind you but enough of a scare to drive the point home.

"Good. Even if you never pick up a kunai with the intent to hurt someone as the aggressor, you can always be the victim, Clarice. There is literally no telling what might happen to you living in this village. So you will learn how to fight, to defend yourself from taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. And to attack with it as well. And before you ask why, by knowing how to do something, you can know how to stop it."

"Um...Maybe this isn't for me," Blink muttered.

"..." Anko waited a moment, trying hard not to raise the heavy hand she was so used to doing. "When I was younger than you, my sensei took me to a village here in Hi no Kuni."

_'Orochimaru,'_ Naruto realized.

"Nice enough place, he took me to the inn, paid for a room for two days, and told me that I had those days off, I could do whatever I wanted during it. Then he left. Why do you suppose he did that?"

"Uh...he felt you deserved it? I don't know."

"Naruto?"

"He had a lesson to teach you."

"Correct. What my master failed to tell me was that in the early hours of the next morning, bandits had planned a raid. I woke up before any got close to me, something was wrong in the air. It was blood. Bandits came in and intended to kill, pillage, plunder, rape everyone and anyone they could, you know, bandit things. Now, obviously things didn't go as they planned once I got involved, but I was very unhappy with my sensei when he came to me after the attack. I accused him of being a vile, heartless bastard. He didn't contradict me. Instead he said, 'Anko, had I done something or had I done nothing wouldn't matter. These men still planned to come here and do violence. When they made that decision, people were going to die. Tell me, who among these men deserved to die and didn't?' When I shouted that every last one of those bastards deserved what they got, he turned the head of the guy to my left to me and then showed me his hand, he wore a wedding ring. 'He had a wife, a little girl, and a baby son, all of them starving this very instant. And now he is not coming home with food for them.' That shut me up. I learned two things that day, Clarice, our actions and in-actions have consequences. My sensei knew that was going to happen, he could have stopped it, but what would have been the point?"

"Wh-What happened to the family," she asked quietly.

"...They died, I never found them to help, not that I had any right to. I realized later I was just trying to assuage a guilty conscious. They deserved help from someone better than I, I know that now and I pray in my heart they received it but I know in my head they did not, the world isn't that nice. The second thing I learn that night was that those without weapons can die on them."

"Yes," Blink said, rubbing her arm at some phantom, "I know that lesson."

"Good. Konoha isn't like a normal village, _everyone_ knows how to fight in some way, from the Hokage down to the sweetest of ramen waitresses. The reason why is because if a group of people attacks this village, they aren't going to care if someone is a ninja or not."

"Blink, did you ever meet any mutants who's mutation was just this harmless thing that just changed how they looked?"

"Once."

"Yet that person was still hated by virtue they were a mutant, a danger to no one, weren't they?"

She looked down to the ground and held her arms close. "Kyle was so nice...he had a second pair of hand on his wrist, they did nothing more than normal hands do. He helped out any that..." She trailed off when Naruto put his hand on her shoulder. "Why can't everyone leave everyone else well enough alone? Why is it necessary I learn this?"

"...I don't know," Naruto answered before looking to Anko.

"Don't look at me, I wondered that same thing for too long without ever finding the answer." Anko gave a shrug and said, "You don't want to kill or hurt anyone, I understand that. So, I hope you never have to use this to do just that. But for as long as you are here, you are learning it." Blink sighed but finally nodded her head. Suddenly smiling, Anko clapped her hands together and said, "Great! We can start with one of two things, Pinkette! Either practicing with your ability or learning to draw out your chakra! Whiskers, we are going to be doing some...survival exercises," she finished with this grin that made Naruto grimace. "So, to accomplish this, I am going to make a clone, it won't be strong as Whiskers' so she will be helping you, Pinkette, any questions?

Blink looked to Naruto for a moment before saying, "I would like to learn how to control my chakra." Anko nodded and created a single, weak Kage Bunshin.

As the clone went to her, Anko's smile widened. "Okay, Whiskers, the training will begin in five, four, ready, steady, GO!" Shouting the end, she suddenly launched a kunai hidden in her coat sleeve.

—oo000oo—

Author's note: I may have opened a can of worms in this story. The problem, Naruto's brain. The human brain is an amazing bit of machinery. It works in ways no computer could ever compete with. Example, how much you notice in life. Every person you ever meet, your brain will remember. Maybe not conciously but subconcious yes, and you see them in your dreams, those people aren't creations. Doesn't matter how quickly they come and go. Another example is your sixth sense. The hairs on the back of your neck rising, you feeling something move behind you, this is your brain compiling all the information your five senses brings in. You literally have your own spider sense. Or the people who train their body to respond to things in their perifial vision. They could be lookng to something with their complete attention, something will fall to their left, and they will catch it. I've done it.

Now we get to Naruto. First let's just point something out. Naruto and the people of his village aren't normal people physically. I have no doubt that a child of this village, Konohamaru's age when first introduced, is about as strong as a normal adult. Why? Because they have trained for generations to do certain things. Super Fly theory, the strongest of each generation passing their genes to the next generation. Then there is chakra, which just makes everything stronger. Finally the world they live in itself. Even in the manga and anime, it isn't a world for the weak. Giant tigers, leeches, and demons, actual demons, all hunting humans with who knows what else. When giant nine tailed foxes and eight tailed ox-topuss can exist and no one bats an eye that they do, you know this is someplace awesome and terrifying. I wouldn't be surprised if Ayame could kick the butt of the any UFC fighter, if she was real but that goes without saying. Mad ramen fu skills.

Now, I kinda think, in a scale, that the average ninja has the reflexes of say spider-man. Spider-Man 2, the train scene where Parker spins to go through the holes of that skywalk walls, yeah. This goes for Naruto as well. Then there is the mental, think of all the on-the-fly stuff Naruto has done, anime and manga. This isn't unique to Naruto, the others do it too, just not as often or as cool. And fighting itself, you can tell where someone it injured, healed or current, by touching them.

Okay, consider all this, physical, mental and senses. Now give it the effeciency and accuracy of a computer with one hell of a high speed camera.

Can. Of. Worms.

I didn't mean for that when I started writing, it just happened but when I started thinking about it, '...well shit.'

Okay, enough about Naruto, now let's talk about Blink. First off, why Blink instead of X-23, or Rogue, Black Cat, American Dream, or any other of the top heavies? Or why the one from 1997 Phalanx Saga instead of Age of Apcolypse, Outsiders, or current 616 Blink. Both are good questions with the same answer. Blink is a person, fragile, hurt, realistic in figure. When she was pulled out of her teleport bubble by the Selene the Black Queen, she was brainwashed and turned into an assassin. When freed, she had become a badass. That isn't what I wanted. I wanted someone that had problems, that had room to grow, that could become something great, not someone that was great. Translation, Blink is just a teenage girl, lost and alone. That is what I wanted when I decided to do this. Rogue from the first X-Men movie, that was what I wanted pretty much, for those that never read the Phalanx Saga.

By the way, if you hadn't guessed, I'm feeling very teasing and sarcastic right now and it's in my writing.


End file.
